Last week a sheriff in Dundee claimed there was a “very definite association between Buckfast and violence” as he sentenced a man who smashed a bottle of the tonic wine over the head of a boy at a child’s 15th birthday party.

The abbey said it was “saddened” by the “judge’s opinion” that a “small number of people in Scotland are not enjoying Buckfast in a responsible way”.

The monks have declined to reveal how much of their income comes directly from sales of the wine, citing market confidentiality.

Between 2010 and 2012, Strathclyde Police said Buckfast was mentioned in almost 6,500 crime reports.

Former Labour MSP and Scottish justice minister Cathy Jamieson made headlines in 2005 when she called for retailers to stop selling the drink.

Alcohol Focus Scotland, the national charity on preventing alcohol-related harm, told the BBC that consumption of Buckfast was “very small” compared with overall alcohol consumption in Scotland.